KARNS CITY — Ford City junior Marisa Wolfe provided the Karns City girls basketball team with a stiff test Friday night.

Make that a tall test.

The 6-foot-3 forward scored 22 points and pulled down 16 rebounds as the Sabers defeated the Gremlins 49-44 in the first day of the Karns City Tip-Off Classic.

It was the second game of a doubleheader. In the night's first contest, Union beat Knoch 52-41.

The Gremlins (0-1) entered the fourth quarter trailing 29-27, but Ford City went on an 11-2 run in the first three minutes of the period and kept KC at bay down the stretch.

Leading 42-36, the Sabers received a conventional three-point play from Wolfe that pushed her team's lead back to nine points with 2:08 left.

"She's been starting for us since her freshman year," said Ford City coach Al Davis. "We lost three guards to graduation and will struggle to get the ball inside to her."

But the Sabers did well enough to start the season with a win, outrebounding KC 34-21 in the process.

"You never like to be outrebounded in a game," said Gremlins coach Dave Kerschbaumer. "But I thought when a shot went up tonight, we put a body on it. The bounces just didn't go our way."

Despite Wolfe's double-double, she was not the game's leading scorer.

That honor went to KC junior forward Ashley Campbell, who scored 23 points, including 14 in the second half. She also added eight boards.

"She played all summer long and dedicated herself to becoming a better player," said Kerschbaumer. "With her size (5-11), we hope to create some matchup problems for teams because we can move her outside as well."

Karns City limited the Sabers to five points in the second quarter, with the former holding a slim 16-15 lead at the break.

KC senior guard Allyson Kepple added 10 points for the Gremlins.

Powers added 12 points for the Sabers.

Union 52, Knoch 41

Both the Knoch and Union girls basketball teams counted on several players making their first varsity starts Friday.

But it was the Damsels who overcame their inexperience to grab a season-opening victory.

Union outscored the Knights 18-9 in the final period to turn a 34-32 lead into a 52-41 triumph.

The Damsels (1-0) received nine fourth-quarter points from freshman forward Tina Lipps, one of the youngsters in the team's starting lineup.

"We might have a lot of young girls, but they didn't get flustered in the fourth quarter," said Union coach Josh Meeker. "This win is huge. Just like it's very important how you begin a game and begin a half, it's also important how you begin a season."

Senior guard Torri Smith, one of the few veterans for Union, led her team with 13 points. Lipps had 12 points.

For the Knights (0-1), sophomore guard Haley Hutterer scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Lindsay MacArthur added 10 points.

Another bright spot for the Knights was that they went from committing 21 turnovers in the first half to just six in the final two quarters.

"I think it was just a case of nerves at the beginning of the game," said Knights coach Curt Vasas. "We came out more comfortable in the second half.

"It was good to get that first game action in," he added. "It was a good learning experience for the girls."

FORD CITY 49Julie Hileman 2 2-2 6, Tara Powers 3 6-8 12, Lynzee Panchik 4 1-4 9, Marisa Wolfe 10 1-1 22, Rachel Good 0 0-0 0, Ashlee Panchik 0 0-0 0, Lindsay Stewart 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 19 10-15 49.

KARNS CITY 44Allyson Kepple 3 2-2 10, Hannah Beck 2 0-0 4, Ashley Campbell 7 9-10 23, Kylee Rankin 3 0-0 6, Maureen McGreevey 0 1-2 1, Taylor Kerschbaumer 0 0-0 0, Katie Weibel 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 15 12-14 44.

Karns City 7 9 11 17—44Ford City 10 5 14 20—493-point goals: Karns City 2 (Kepple 2); Ford City 1 (Wolfe).

JV: Ford City 45-22

Saturday: Ford City vs. Union, 3:30 p.m.; Knoch vs. Karns City, 8 p.m.

UNION 52Lanae Cicciarelli 3 0-0 6, Courtney Frederick 4 0-0 9, Brooke Pollock 2 3-5 7, Torri Smith 5 2-3 13, Melissa Shook 1 2-2 4, Tina Lipps 4 4-6 12, Lepha Logue 0 1-2 1, Amanda Barger 0 0-0 0, Heather Murray 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 19 12-18 52.

KNOCH 41Megan Burlbaugh 0 2-2 2, Haley Hutterer 4 2-2 13, Hannah Novotny 3 0-2 6, Lindsay MacArthur 5 0-0 10, Sara Montgomery 2 2-8 6, Laura Gray 1 2-2 4, Kristen Gagen 0 0-1 0, Hannah Hashmi 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 15 8-17 41.

Knoch 10 7 15 9—41Union 6 17 11 18—523-point goals: Union 2 (Frederick, Smith); Knoch 3 (Hutterer 3).

JV: Knoch 40-23

Saturday: Ford City vs. Union, 3:30 p.m.; Knoch vs. Karns City, 8 p.m.